Who will Guard the Guards
by Lisnnaya
Summary: It's a dangerous world. With the murder of his mother and betrayal of his butler, it is time for him to untangle the web of lies and deceit weaved around him since the day of his birth, before dark secrets are allowed to sneak through his door and hold their blades at his throat. Darkness is creeping up on his horizon, and it calls for a new dawn. A new age. A harsh one.
1. Chapter 1

Summary: It's a dangerous world. With the murder of his mother and betrayal of his butler, it is time for him to untangle the web of lies and deceit weaved around him since the day of his birth, before dark secrets are allowed to sneak through his door and hold their blades at his throat. Darkness is creeping up on his horizon, and it calls for a new dawn. A new age. A harsh one.

Warning: This story will go on for while before I introduce the Ancient Civilization into the story, cause I need to develop Harrison's power first. The Academy I am going to enroll Harrison in, is a dangerous one, where only the fittest survive.

Pairings: none so far (no slash)

Rating: PG-13 might go up if necessary

Words: 5,275

Chapter 1 - Who will Guard the Guards

Something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

Quietly, he slipped out of his bed and peered out of his door into the lavish hallway of the manor.

The rough rustling sounds of the sheets reached his ears. Pausing minutely, he quickly ducked in the dark bathroom just outside his mother's room. His instincts were never wrong, and this time they were telling him that his life was in danger.

Then there was a soft thump, followed closely by unnerving silence. Chills ran down his spine, his mother had trained him for situations like these. Situations where you knew that you were at a disadvantage and if you were found.

You would be killed.

It was the first time that he had ever in been in such circumstance, but that didn't make him any less prepared. Quietly, he shifted his weight onto his other leg.

"Creak".

Just like that, everything snapped. Within seconds, the bathroom door slammed open, revealing a 6 foot man of slender build, with a small pistol and a 10 inch wand in his calloused hands. "Is there anyone in there?" a voice called out from behind the male.

Harrison focused, willing his mind to project a blank image of the bathroom.

_Nothing._

_Nothing._

_It's just a dark bathroom._

The man scanned the darkness, quietly. His eyes swept over the ceiling. He hesitated briefly before grunting, "No, no one".

~0o0o0o0o~

He waited in the darkness of the bathroom, keeping a firm grip on his footholds with his back pressed snugly against the ceiling. His breathing kept shallow and even through entire time. He waited till he was sure they were gone. They were obviously professional. There was no indication that they left, no quiet clicks from doors closing or gentle footsteps leaving the house. But he trusted his instincts.

Who were they? He could feel the glamour charm the man wore.

But, more importantly, was mother alright?

"Mother?"

Silence met his words. Shaking silently, he gently nudged his mother's door open. He expected to see his mother's brutally mutilated corpse, but she was just laying face down on the bed.

Resting.

If he hadn't known better, he would have thought her sleeping, as normal people would have.

But he knew she wasn't. She was dead.

Reaching out, he pressed his shaking fingers to her wrist, already knowing that he would feel no pulse.

He felt numb.

He had never been close to his mother; there had always been some sort of rift between them. She always kept him at a distance, never allowing their relationship to develop fully to an intimate level. Their relationship of Mother and Son was simply titles of formality.

For the past 15 years, she had treated him well, raising him with a firm hand. Hiring the best tutors and combat trainers to teach him the various obscure branches of Magic and the art of Assassins. Ensuring that his chances of survival in the dangerous world beyond their walls.

However, they both knew that he knew that she was hiding something from him. Something essential about his birth and parentage. She always grew cold and silent whenever it was mentioned, refusing to answer his questions. She only ever told him that he was indeed Harry Potter, nothing more. Why was he attacked as a baby? How did he come to stay with her? He had no idea.

And he knew that the murder that just occurred was somehow linked to him.

Harrison DeHarde drew a deep breath, trying to calm himself. This wasn't the time to panic. His mother was an infamous assassin herself; all descendants of the DeHarde family were. As a DeHarde, he was going to step up to his name and figure out what was going on. Their butler, Daniel Hosgrol, would be back from Japan by tomorrow evening at around 7 pm.

Harrison knew that he could either return to his room and stay there till Daniel returned from Japan or figure what the hell was going on by himself.

But Daniel definitely had a hand in his mother's murder, a DeHarde does not die that easily.

Then he saw it, a small envelope in his mothers hands, addressed to Daniel Hosgrol. Probably placed there by his mother's murderers. He would be damned if they continued to keep him in the dark.

Quickly, he checked it for spells.

There were none, it was as harmless as it looked. Immediately, his took the letter out of his mothers hands, and tore it open carefully, he could put it back after he was done.

~0o0o0o0o~

He read it once. Then twice. And again.

Then he cursed.

Daniel Hosgrol wasn't the simple butler he portrayed himself to be.

~0o0o0o0o~

He patiently examined the wards surrounding his mother's office. It was a complex web of magic, threads of colors weaved into a lattice. Unweaving it would take months, something he couldn't afford. His mind was seeking a weak spot in the wards, seeking for the knot that held the entire web of magic together. Carefully prodding the wards, never hitting the same area every time, he searched diligently for the Knot.

Eventually he found it and began to attack the Knot, snapping the threads of magic, rather than unraveling the Knot. It required significantly more magic and skill, but it saved time.

He was going to get into the office before that damn Daniel Hosgrol returned. Dimly aware that the threads were weakening, he focused on trapping the magic. Feeling the magic weaken, he quickly channeled more magic into a spot in the Knot before he finally felt it snap.

"Click"

He smirked triumphantly and quickly checked the time.

He had approximately 16 hours to get out of the manor before that damned bastard got to their estate. He reached forward and turned the knob, before stepping into his mother's office for the first time.

It was larger then his bedroom. And it was ransacked. He cursed again. Of course it was. Those damn bastards might have already taken everything related to him.

He looked around, unsure of what to do next. The books.

Quickly he summoned a trunk, his mother definitely kept many powerful magical items her office, and he was taking what he could.

A beautiful red leather trunk flew towards him. After checking it for an expandable built-in charm, he immediately started looking through books and magical items that called out to him. Suddenly, he felt a disturbance across his magical senses.

Quickly, he trailed his elegant long fingers along the spine of the books along the shelf. His hands stopped at an old leather bound book, he frowning at it, before pulling it out. Gently, he blew the dust off the book's cover. The leather was deep gray, with an engraving of the Death Phoenix on the cover. He flipped it open gently, carefully manhandling the old leather book.

The book was blank. And untitled.

His brows furrowed in confusion.

Nonetheless, he tucked he book away. It was special, he knew.

Three hours later, his trunk was ¾ full of books on the obscure branches of magic such as weather magic, illusionary magic, Alchemy and Druid magic. He also grabbed various weapons and powerful magical objects.

Following this, he spent the next hour altering his appearance. He had consumed a hair growth potion, taken from his mother's stash of cosmetic potions. With his wavy black hair extending down to his mid-back and falling partially over his face, covering his now icy blue eyes, he decided that he definitely looked greatly different. He had been reluctant to change his eye color but he had decided that his brilliant killing-curse green eyes would have given him away. He fingered the pair daggers tucked onto the lose leather belt hanging on his hips. The daggers were made out of the bones of a Rahkep Dragon, a rare dragon species that had existed in the early 12th century. It radiated with powerful blood magic.

Strapped onto his back was a staff, was a simple deep maroon rod with golden trimmings. At the head of the rod was a complicated design, with a violet crystal suspended in the centre of the design. The crystal was covered in a shimmering layer of magic.

Hanging around his neck hidden beneath a dark blue cloak, which complimented his icy blue eyes, was a Wardstone he had found in one of his mother's drawers. These rare stones protected him from tracking charms and many spells, in exception of exceptionally high-powered spells and curses.

He had worn his mother's knee-high brown dragon hide boots, which reflected different colors at certain angles. There was nothing special about the boots at first sight. However, he had shrank his trunk and attached it onto the bottom of the boots.

Satisfied with his appearance, he decided that the next best course of action would be to visit the Wizarding Bank. The nearest bank was in Berlin. He had originally intended to fly on broom. However he figured that it would take too long, and it was far too easy to track him down if he used the Floo.

He had to take the risk of Shadow travel, a skill he had been trying to master for the past month. His necromancy tutor, Tristen Paqueits, had challenged him into mastering this A-rank ability. If he mastered it, Professor Paqueits would begin teaching him the art raising magical dead creatures.

He had been successful once. Once should be enough for him to be able to do it again. However, the risk of doing it wrongly was much higher than apparation, the consequences much more severe. Instead of splinted bodies, it would have been splinted souls. Once splinted, it was lost. Awfully morbid.

Drawing a deep breath, he slowly allowed himself to melt into the shadows, focusing on the image of his destination.

~0o0o0o0o~

"Good evening, how may I serve you?" the Fae on duty greet Harrison.

"I need to withdraw money from the DeHarde vault and a take bloodline test."

"You require the vault keys to access the vault. The test costs 200 Galleons, would you like this to be charged to the DeHarde account?"

"Yes, that would be fine".

"Alright, just head over to level two and hand this slip to any available Fae on duty. They would be able to carry out your bloodline test. To withdraw money, that would be on level three," she said, handing him a small blue stone with a smile.

"Thank you"

He took the stone and proceeded to the third floor.

~0o0o0o0o~

"Just a few drops of blood onto the runes will do" the beautiful male blonde Fae, Laeviter, directed him.

Harrison obeyed quietly. Pain was not a foreign concept to him. Having been raised in the DeHarde household did not allow him to afford such luxuries. He had been trained from the age of 5 to join the family's guild of Assassin. The DeHarde family had been one of the more prominent Assassin families for the last few centuries, a branch away from the main family, the Caelestis, whose ancestors founded the Assassin Guild.

Harrison watch as his blood traced out the shallow markings of rune engraved into the rock. As soon as his blood completely traced out the rune, it glowed brightly. At that moment, Harrison felt as if all his nerves were on fire.

Then slowly, the parchment before him started to fill out.

_Given Name__: Harry James Potter_

_Adopted Name__: Harrison Benedicite DeHarde-Necromantia_

_Birth Mother__: Lily Evans-Ambrosius (Deceased) _

_Birth Father__: Formosus Beatus __Necromantia-Salvator_

_Adoptive Father__: James Potter (Deceased) _

_Adoptive Mother__: Sicarius Amor DeHarde (Deceased) _

_Heir to Bloodlines__: DeHarde_

_Potter_

_Ambrosius_

_Salvator_

_Necromantia_

_Ludo_

_Magical creature bloodlines__: Cambion_

_Dark Elf _

Harrison stared down at the paper in front of him, feeling slightly faint. He had known from young that he was Harry Potter. His mother had kindly informed him at a young age that he was indeed the child hero that Britain worshiped. However, his mother had also told him that he could do as he pleased and flipped Britain the bird if he wanted.

What he didn't know was that his father was Formosus Beatus Necromantia. He was a Necromantia. The line of Necromantias had disappeared several centuries earlier. They were part of the ancient race of Dark Elves that populated the earth in the late 15th century. They were renowned and often sought out for their advanced skills in Necromancy.

Why had they disappeared off the face of the Earth for over five centuries only to reappear now. And to mate with his mother, nonetheless.

Pausing abruptly to stare at his mother's surname, Evan-Ambrosius.

Ambrosius.

He blinked slowly. Wasn't that Myrddin's last name? The legendary figure known to the Wizarding world as Merlin?

Deep breaths he told himself.

Think.

The magical creature bloodline of a Cambion definitely came from Myrddin. Myrddin was the offspring of a mortal woman and an Incubus, resulting in him being a Cambion. They were known to be devilishly cunning and angelically beautiful, with powers were way beyond the norm, and were considered supernatural even among Magical Elven beings.

"Any questions regarding your heritage?" Laeviter asked.

"Yeah, when does the magical creature heritage usually come into effect?"

"The general age is sixteen, however it is different for various magical creatures. There are various books available regarding this subject."

Harrison nodded distractedly, mind racing with possibilities now open to him due to his heritage. As a magical creature, he now had the option of attending the Deus Gloriosus Academy, the prestigious Academy that was only opened to the most talented students. The only conditions were that if you wanted to survive, you were on your own. The professors would never interfere in cases of fights, there was no hospital wing, and they also had weekly tests where student would be thrown into the wild and given 24 hours to return. Mortal humans almost never survived past the first month. Smirking, he recalled his mother telling him how most of the world-renowned assassins, researchers and healers came from there.

"May I inquire what the estates available to me as the Heir of these bloodlines?"

Laeviter quietly trapped the runes on the side of the desk and brought up several thick files regarding the available estates.

"Do you have any preferences? Or shall we begin with the most luxurious?" Laeviter said with a small smirk, clearly displaying his liking for lush expects of life.

"Preferably a large isolated location with high security measures and wide array of facilities." Harrison said with a smile. Life was just beginning to get exciting.

~0o0o0o0o~

Upon arriving at the Ambrosius Manor, located in Rio De Janero, Brazil, he took the time to tune the wards to permit only him, erasing the list of people previously allowed to bypass the wards. The manor was extraordinarily huge, with a front garden that grew rare Alchemy and Potion ingredients. When he arrived, there had been a total of twenty-four house elves lined up just beyond the gate, ready to assist him. They had given him a tour of the house and he discovered that the Ambrosius even had a stable filled with a large array of magical horses. There had been Firehorses, Nightmares, Frost-Brees, Dark unicorns and several other species he couldn't identify. The house elves had also informed him that there were Elf Steeds wondering around the Manor.

Elf Steeds possessed high intelligence and were more magical in nature than any other stallions. No human could sit their backs, only those of royal Elfish blood could ride them.

The Manor was beautiful, and its large array of facilities available was going to be more than enough to do with over the next few months. It gave him the opportunity to prepare himself for the infamous the Deus Gloriosus Academy.

Harrison also figured that if he wanted to disguise himself from Daniel Hosgolf, he was going all out. And at 5 foot 4, Harrison thought that he hardly cut an impressive figure and thus, taken the pains of reading up and brewing the growth potion.

Two doses a day till he reached his desired height. It would be good to finally be tall. It was always more impressive, and first impressions were exceptionally important. He could already feel a dull ache spreading throughout his body. Attempting to ignore it, Harrison settled down in soft chair in the corner of the magnificent Ambrosius Library and opened up a book detailing the effects he would experience when his magical creature inheritance came into effect.

Apparently, a large portion of his magical reserves that had been lying dormant for the past 15 years, were going to activate. He could enhance his senses, give himself faster reflexes, better night vision, greater stamina and speed if he were to undergo several blood magic rituals in quick succession upon coming into his inheritance.

He was determined to master the art of bloodmagic before his sixteenth birthday and had approximately 9 months left. Harrison was slightly worried about making a mistake since making mistakes with respect to blood magic led to horrific results.

~0o0o0o0o~

Further exploration of the manor revealed that it had a Battle Training Room, equipped with animate dummies that fought back. The dummies were modeled after the human body, and could be "knocked out" or "killed" if hit in the right spots.

Currently, he was practicing with twelve dummies set on difficulty level 8. He had new scars on his body to prove that they weren't easy fighters. He grunted loudly as one of the dummies tossed him over its shoulder, causing him to land on his back rather painfully. Quickly, he pushed himself onto his feet, ignoring the burn his muscles and hurled a knife at it. Without pausing to congratulate himself at the satisfying thud of metal sliding into the dummy's neck, he spun on his heel, smacking the two dummies behind him with the long black staff he took from his mother. Throwing himself down into a crouch to avoid the curses projected at him from the walls and dummies, he quickly spun the rod above his head, smacking the same two dummies in various places in quickly, without allowing them time to retaliate.

Three down.

Sensing movement above him, he whipped out his hands above him, willing the air to form a shield. The air above him swirled, forming a flat vortex which moved at such a high speed, it basically sliced through everything that charged at it. He grinned triumphantly at the loud thuds of the broken pieces of the dummies being thrown across the large training room.

He rather liked his developing Air Magic. He even named that move Blade Defense .

~0o0o0o0o0~

He stared at the clock on the wall. It was just a few minutes to midnight. After his sixteenth birthday, he would follow through with the blood rituals and then prepare to leave the Manor for the Deus Gloriosus Academy.

He screamed and bit down on his lips, trying to tolerate the pain as his body adjusted to the sudden awakening of his dormant magic. There was too much. It was tearing at his limbs, burning through his veins. It was as if liquid fire had been poured over him.

He let out a pained shriek as another wave of raw magic washed over him. He was struggling to deal with the foreign sensation of Elven Magic spreading through him.

He was dimly aware of foreign magic brushing gently across his now shattered mind shields, trying to calm him.

_-Focus. Seek for your core. Untangle and calm your magic, it is fighting off your inheritance- _

His core, he gasped deep breaths of air, suddenly recalling the details of the book. Quickly, he forced the sensation of pain aside, numbing his nerves with a few sharp jabs to the Focal Points around his body.

He slow retreated into his mind seeking out his core. Allowing his consciousness to be dragged into his core, he felt the familiar weightless sensation overwhelm him, looking around he realized that his core no longer resembled the familiar glowing blue and green threads of magic. Instead, it was tangled together, wrapped around various golden threads of magic, seemingly trying to crush it.

_-Let go, relax your magic-_

Reaching out, he gently projected a sensation of calm into his core of magic. It must have reacted to his pain and tried to destroy the source of it. His mind slowly begun to re-adjust itself, forming a new mindscape, a new beautiful giant lattice of glowing threads.

Then he pulled out of his mind.

He hesitated briefly before saying.

_-Who are you?-_

_-You will see me in the morning, rest now-_

Even if he wanted to object he couldn't, so he weakly allowed sleep to overcome him.

~0o0o0o0o~

Slowly, he began to feel aware of the cool air caressing his skin and the silk sheets he was lying on. He slowly opened his eyes and blinked languidly. His body felt so stiff, as if he had been lying in bed for centuries. Slowly he stretched, trying to relieve the dull ache in his bones. He could practically feel his lips peeling and the thin line of dried blood that run between the spilt in his lips.

Sinking into his core to examine it again, he was greeted by a sight so beautiful and different. No longer was it the giant lattice of magic. Now there were little glowing pebble-like shapes floating in a large expense. His mind was also structured differently, his mind shield having strengthened to form a new defense wall.

Coming out of his core, figuring that he could explore it again later with the aid of one of the old dusty tomes in the Ambrosius Library.

_-How do you feel?-_

Harrison stiffened. He had been trained for 15 years under his mother's guidance on the art of stealth and the concept was essential to every member of the DeHarde family. However, he wasn't even aware of the foreign presence until it made itself known.

Snapping his head around, he was greeted by the sight of winged serpent. It had shimmering Black Opal scales and was easily 12 feet in length. She was indeed beautiful and Harrison was sure that she was a magical serpent that was supposedly believed to have been extinct since the 16th century.

_-Better, thank you. Who are you? How is it that you can get in here?-_

_-I am the current magical guardian of the Ambrosius family, I watch over the living descendants until my hatchlings take over me. You may call me Luxmundi-_

~0o0o0o0o~

Harrison admired his new appearance, he wasn't a particularly vain person, but he had to admit that he looked good. His hair was still black, but now it had gained a light shimmer and it was wavier, his skin was flawless and nearly pure white with a radiant glow to it. He was most pleased about how the growth potion and his magical inheritance had given him a boost in height, and his was now 6 feet 2. (Convert that to cementers and it would be 192 cm. If only these potions existed in real life! )

His eyes had acquired new additional colors; it was icy blue with specks of silver. The world also seemed more vivid and focused; it made his previous vision seem dull and blurred. With his new senses, the world suddenly seemed so overwhelming. He was suddenly aware of everything that was happening- the house elves cleaning the house, the fear of the mice being chased by an eagle owl a mile away, the groaning of the oak tree as it resisted the strong gusts of wind 5 miles north-east.

_-It takes time. It will feel a little overwhelming at first, but your mind will slowly get in tune with it. You should rest for a while to allow your body time to adjust- _

Her head was nudging him gently back towards the bed.

Luxmundi somehow always knew what he was thinking about and having troubles with. She was quickly taking on the role of his mother rather than his guardian.

_-I need to complete my blood rituals soon before I leave for the Academy-_

_-Very well, but you are resting before you leave-_

Harrison nodded with a smile. She was so motherly that it was nearly amusing. He had written to the school earlier that week and received the acceptance letter yesterday together with a portkey. The portkey was activated with the password: Arcane. It was only set to go off at any desired time on the last day of August. It would bring them to the trailhead. The students then had to go through a series of tests before arriving on the first day of school that began on September 5th. They had 120 hours to get to school, or they would not be permitted entry.

Harrison stretched out, easing the ache in his joint, before gathering his Blood Blades necessary for the Ritual before proceeding down to the Bloodmagic Chambers in the basement of the Manor.

~0o0o0o0o~

For the effects of the ritual to be maximized, he had to use the blood of a Nightmare stallion willingly given, if not he would have had to settle for blood of a Black Eagle. It wasn't easy to convince the Nightmare to donate its blood to him.

But it gave in eventually.

The blades had been soaked in the blood of a Nightmare stallion for a full week and were now stained black.

Patiently, Harrison carved the runes into the stone floor of the chamber, the blade cutting through the stone easily due to his supernatural strength as a Dark Elf and Cambion. He had carved two interlocking circles of runes, with another circle of runes drawn in his own blood located in the interlocking section. Careful, not to step on any of the freshly drawn runes, Harrison settled down in the middle of the Blood drawn runes and prepared to meditate until the night arrived and revealed its full moon.

Several hours later, the sensation of the moon caressing his skin called him back from his mind. He watched as his blood runes surrounding him slowly seeped into the stones and outlined the interlocking circle of runes.

The runes begun to glow brilliant red, that was when he steadily raised a hand and begun carving the runes into his skin.

It had hurt, but he had experienced worse pain at the hands of his combat trainer back at the DeHarde household. Blood slowly welled up and began to drip down his arm. The knife never leaving his skin, it began to grow hotter till it felt like he was holding a blade of fire.

It was approximately 16 hours later when he emerged from the Bloodmagic chamber, unstable and covered with blood.

When he washed the blood off, he could see the rune glowing faintly in gold. The runes then faded over the next few days until he couldn't see them anymore. However, if he concentrated on activating the full power of the runes, the golden shimmer of the runes would return.

~0o0o0o0o~

When he was introduced to the armory, he was instantly drawn towards the beautiful display of Bow and Quiver. All the bows were craved out of the finest woods and metals. Reverently, he examined a large bow, its sharp contrast of colors only served to enhance the beauty of the bow. The fiery red and blue bow seemed to call out to him.

With great care, he picked it up. Immediately, a feeling of rightness rushed through him. Almost like the reunion of two partners.

_-All Elves chose their bows when they come of age. It seems like you have chosen yours, as your bow has chosen you- Luxmundi commented approvingly. _

_-She needs a name-_ He said, still admiring the delicate craftsmanship of the magnificent bow. The ends of the bow curled outwards resembling the wings of a great phoenix. Gently, he ran his hands along the length of the bow, nearly gasping aloud at the sensation of it. The red wood of the bow had sent powerful tremors through his body; it was like having liquid fire running through his veins. The flames crawled through him, slowly at first before the burning sensation begun to built up with increasing speed. And soon it was like having the dancing demons of hell had been released into his soul, like the burning beast of fiery destruction had reared it head from deep within him, a magnificent yet terrifying beast of the flames.

His knees nearly buckled at the onslaught, but his hands continued running along the length of the bow. Caressing the cool metal, that outlined the carvings that danced along the length of the bow. The sensation of the icy metal sucked him in, like the inner dome of heaven had enfolded him into their loving embrace. Encasing him with the slow forming crystals of the winter, welcoming him to the land where soft whispers of the earth were carried along by the winds and where winter berries shone scarlet red. It reached deep within him calming and soothing the demons of the fire.

Forming the perfect balance.

_-She shall be called Ardevis- _

_-A beautiful name-_

~0o0o0o0o~

Several weeks later, he was ready to go through the series of trial Deus Gloriosus Academy had prepared for them.

His trunk had been changed for a larger one with several more compartments for him to store various potions and potion ingredients.

Being raised in the DeHarde household had prepare him for situations beyond the levels of the ones he would likely find himself in at Deus Gloriosus Academy.

He memorized the hierarchy system of the Vampires, Elves and Werewolves since he was Nine and had started healing his own injuries, including broken and fractured bones, since his was Ten. Being thrown into Wild life survival tests since he was Eleven had also taught him how to differentiate poisonous plants from another.

Life had been exciting back then.

Life was just about to get more exciting.

"Arcane," he spoken into the portkey, with Luxmundi wrapped around his shoulders and his trunk tucked into his dragonhide boots.

Yes, I would reveal the contents of the letter later in the story, it is quite important! Also the leather bound book he found in his mother's office would also play quite an important role in the story. And I hope you noticed that his father(_Formosus Beatus __Necromantia-Salvator)_ is still alive ;)

Thanks for reading! Please tell me how to improve and give me some constructive criticism!


	2. Chapter 2

Warning: This story will go on for while before I introduce the Ancient Civilization into the story, cause I need to develop Harrison's power first. The story might be a bit dark, because the Academy I am going to enroll Harrison in, is a dangerous one, where only the fittest survive.

Pairings: none so far

Rating: PG-13 might go up if necessary

Words: 4,292

Chapter 2 - Who will Guard the Guards

A light snow was falling.

He watched the people rush by, hurrying home to escape the chill. Reaching out, he watched as a small snowflake landed on his palm.

"Sir, ya meal," the waitress dress in thick clothing shivered slightly in the cold. "Would ya like ta move inside the diner? It is warmer in there."

"No, I am fine thank you," he smiled, graciously rejecting her offer. The waitress blushed and hurried away.

He chuckle softly, it would take him some time to get used to his new appearance. Then he felt the sensation of a pair of eyes focused on him. Looking up, he found two young men seated at the opposite, gazing at him thoughtfully. He raised a brow at them, silently challenging them to voice their thoughts. The two men exchanged glances; unspoken messages hang in the air between them.

Then, the one the right, a handsome dark-skinned man with a finely chiseled jaw line gestured at his ears, "I have never see any of your kind, your race is rather secretive."

Earlier that day, he had decided to braid the hair around his brow, leaving the rest of his wavy black hair cascading down his back. With his hair held back, it revealed the lobeless, upswept ears – the hallmark of his race.

Harrison laughed lightly, the sound resembling the gentle musical trailing of a phoenix. Ever since the change, everything about him that used to be somewhat clumsy, with any resemblance to an ill-mannered clod, had dissolved away. Replace by graceful, elegant, smooth, lithe movements. Luxmundi even remarked that when he fought; his movements resembled that of a dancers.

"Are you here for Deus Gloriosus Academy trials?" the blonde man seated by the dark-skinned man asked. He was as beautiful as the other, though not in entirely human terms. His pale blue eyes were large and nearly luminous in the darkness of the drawing winter night. But he supposed that with his sharp Elven features, he didn't look entirely human either.

"Aren't we all? Benedicite Crydee by the way." Harrison said with a smile, reaching his hand out as he introduced himself. He had decided to use his middle name together with a false surname. Using his real name would be like lighting a bonfire and sending smoke signals to Daniel Hosgrol.

"I am Tomas Crebda, and this is my cousin Keiran Crebda." The blonde man nodded towards his cousin while taking Benedicite's hand in a firm grip. Benedicite blinked in surprise, the Crebda was an old and well-known Vampire family.

"Related to Carline Crebda?"

Keiran smirked, "well cousin, looks like grandmother's reputation has spread far and wide."

~0o0o0o0o~

Benedicite watched as the townsmen rush about courtyard of the small town, shouting as they went long with their daily lives. He had been in the saddle for the last ten minutes together with a group of forty others. Dawn was just commencing, giving the courtyard some colors instead of the black and grey that had greet him when he had first arrived in the town.

A few other students were still rushing about, hurrying to pack last minute items. Benedicite, had already packed the night before unlike the incompetent fools before him. After much arguing and convincing, he managed to get Luxmundi rest in one of the magically enlarged cushioned pouches attached to his saddle. He didn't want to attract too much attention with her wrapped around his shoulders. He was well attired with a spell-prove silk vest underneath his dark blue tunic, with a pair of fine black dragon hide pants wrapped around his long legs. He also had his bow and quiver, Ardevis, strapped onto his back together with his staff. He could practically feel the power of Ardevis seeping into his skin.

"Are you travelling with us? There strength in numbers," Benedicite turned to see the blonde man, Tomas moving his Firehorse along side his own Elf Steed. Benedicite had been pleasantly surprise to note that he possessed enough royal elfish blood, to command an Elf Steed. The majestic stallion had responded to his call for it just before he left the manor.

He smiled, "I don't see why not. It is going to be a long treacherous journey to the Academy, I wonder what sort of trials they have lined up for us."

"Long and treacherous? More like exciting. By the time we reach the Academy, they would have weeded out the weaker students." Keiran said with a gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, let us ride."

Slowly first, then they rode with increasing speed through the gates of the town and down the dirt road towards the Grey Forest.

~0o0o0o0o~

They had been riding for about an hour before they entered the dense woodlands. The snows of the early winter had draped most of the landscape in white. It had been falling heavily throughout the day, and the layers of snow had quickly frozen up into a thin crust of ice. The rhythmic crunching of the dry leaves and ice beneath the hooves of their steeds, could be heard resounding through the still winter air.

The bickering of another group of students just behind, sounded hollow to the three of them, who sat silent and vigilant. Their eyes searching the woods for any signs of trouble.

"They are too loud, we already have half of the woods watching us." Benedicite remarked to Keiran and Tomas.

"You felt it too don't you? The crawl of eyes upon us," Tomas muttered.

"Let us hurry ahead, if we are lucky the woods would remove the competition," Keiran said with a smirk.

"Ah, you are so sinister," Tomas said nudging him playfully in the ribs, allowing some of the tension slip away.

"Hold your horses! Aren't those Firedrakes circling at the distance?" Benedicite said with alarm creeping into his voice.

"Yeah, what about them?"

"Damn it, I can't believe that we haven't noticed them earlier. Don't you remember? They are well-known for being used by during battles and ambushes." Tomas hissed at his cousin, while pulling at the reigns of his horse.

"It is probably the natives on orders from our damn Acadamy," Benedicite said in a hushed tone, glaring at the Firedrakes just beyond the canopy of the trees.

"There is no way to go around them except on foot," Tomas cursed softly before turning to Keiran with an odd gleam in his eyes. "Do you trust me?" Tomas asked, looking at his cousin dead in the eye.

Keiran looked warily at his cousin before responding slowly, "well yeah, we hav– WOAH!" Keiran let out a panicked shout, as Tomas hit the legs of his Firehorse. Sending the stallion rearing. Unable to maintain his balance, Keiran toppled out of his saddle.

With mirth dancing in his eyes, Tomas jumped of his horse and quickly cradled Keiran's ankle, and said with mock concern, "Damn it Keiran, you sprained your ankle. Hey, Benedicite get down. Let us rest for a bit while I heal this." Benedicite grinned at them, before he dismounted. He waved away the curious and concerned looks from the riders behind them, indicating for them to go ahead. The purpose of the whole ruse was to prevent the other students from being alerted to their plans. They could ride straight into the ambush for all he cared. He then gracefully knelt down next to Keiran, putting on his best sympathetic expression, while Keiran tossed venomous glares at Tomas.

"Damn it, Tomas. I never knew you had that in you." Benedicite said with an approving grin.

"Don't encourage him, Benedicite! " Keiran hissed at him under his breath.

After the students were around the bend, they quickly scrambled into action. "Grab what you need from the horses, we will disillusion the Horses and the rest of our baggage," Tomas said.

"Yeah yeah, we know, relax Tomas."

"How you can be so at ease, amazes me, Keiran," Benedicite said with a laugh.

Benedicite turned from them and whispered to his Elf Steed in his musical language. His steed reared in salute and speed off into the forest, with the two Firehorses following closely behind.

"Lets go. Lets hope we won't encounter any goblins or the native Kasumis," Tomas said with a glint of excitement in his eyes.

"Hard and fast they say. Hard and fast."

~0o0o0o0o~

Tomas motioned for them to keep still. With an indication of his hand, the white-blonde manmotioned for them to ascend the trees.

Then they heard screams coming from the distance, "its an ambush! To me! To me! We are surrounded!" From their vintage point, they had watched the group of students panicking as they rode straight into the ambush like rabbits into a snare.

They then quickly memorized the positions of the attacking Kasumis. They watched as the students finally managed to break through the line of attacking archers, riding hard and fast seeking to keep ahead of their pursuers.

"It's a massacre, At least eighteen of those students are down. Thank goodness we were alert enough," Benedicite whispered.

"They are approximately a mile away, they are attacking from the East, let's head north," Tomas remarked to them.

"We can't go north. Don't you see it? They are herding them away from the East towards the North; they are bringing them to their main strength." Keiran said gesturing at Kasumis runners, running along with the galloping horses. "Right now, they not seeking to massacre them but to keep them moving in a blind haste. Their arrows and runner from the East side serves to hurry them along the path towards the North."

"Damn, you are right. Alright then, let us follow the course of the river out of the Grey Forest then. It is the faster route. Once we are out, we can call for our horses." Benedicite said gesturing towards the river a quarter mile to the west.

"The Grey Rivers are the most dangerous part of the forest. Many have died at the hands of the Creatures of the Grey Waters." Keiran argued.

"Nah, not if you have an Elf in your company," Tomas said with a grin.

"What? What does that have to do with anything?"

"Looks like you don't know much about my kind, but the any Creatures of Water loves Elves."

~0o0o0o0o~

Swiftly, they made their way along the river, travelling at a speed which no human could keep up with. The Deadly Creatures of Grey Waters lurked in the depths of the river passing no mind to the passing trio. They travelled quickly, ignoring the smothering looks the water nymphs were throwing them, or more accurately, Benedicite.

"Looks like, they like what they see," Keiran said grinning at Benedicite.

"That is a gross understatement, my friend. They are practically drooling at our little Elf," Tomas said with a laugh.

With mock solemnity, Benedicite said, "I do apologize for stealing all the attention. I tend to outshine everyone I am with, sometimes I do wonder what it is like to be dull and boring."

Keiran sighed in a theatrical fashion, "Ah… Indeed, my friend. Sometimes I do feel the same way. Then I remember if I ever want to know what it is like, I simply look at Tomas."

Tomas gave him a crooked grin before he lunged forward, wrapping his arms around Keiran's tan neck, and said with a wicked leer, "well now, there is no need to jealous of my extravagant lifestyle. Merlin knows when was the last time a lady had laid her eyes upon your stout figure."

Keiran spluttered indignantly, "Stout? Stout? I am barely two inches below than you!"

They both dissolved into uproarious laughter at Keiran's indignant expression.

Within three hours, the group emerged out of the dense forest. Benedicite then called out for his Elf Steeds, the magical steeds could hear the call of their riders no matter the distance. Soon his steed came riding out of the forest, with the Firehorses just behind. Once they mounted their stallions, they gathered around Tomas and the map.

Keiran looked at the map and said, "So we head towards the Southern Pass right? Deus (the academy) is just beyond The Pass of Desual."

"Well lets go, don't forget about the timer," Tomas grinned with a glint of competitiveness in his eyes.

"It is nearly nightfall though, we have to be careful. I don't know what lurks in this part of mountains," Benedicite said eyeing their surroundings with caution.

Soon, they were riding swiftly through the valleys between the snowing peaks.

~0o0o0o0o~

They had travelled through the night, covering about 40 miles. Stopping a couple of times to eat and refresh. They were travelling hard, due to the hours they lost travelling through the forest on foot.

"It is rather suspicious that we haven't encountered anything yet," Keiran muttered.

"I don't like it, I feel like something bad is going to happen," Benedicite said, while tugging his dark green cloak around him. Shielding himself from howling winter winds.

"A snow storm is approaching, we might be able to tolerate the harsh winters, but I am afraid that we might get lost in this weather." Tomas said gesturing at the clouds rolling in from the northwest, and the darkening skies. "We need to find shelter, we have about an hour before the storm comes. Benedicite, if you would."

"Give me a moment." Being an Elf made him more in tune with nature, with his mind being connected to the creatures of the Earth. Gently, he lowered his mind shields, slowly spreading his senses out, mentally preparing himself for the onslaught of activity.

After he returned to his conscious mind, Benedicite gestured towards the North, "There is a habitable cave less than a quarter mile ahead. I'll lead the way."

~0o0o0o0o~

Benedicite woke up to the smell of cooking meat. Sitting up, he saw that it was dark outside, and the snowstorm was still going strong.

"How much longer do you think the storm is going to last?" Keiran wondered aloud.

_-I have never seen such a powerful snow storm before-_

Upon hearing the voice in their head, both Tomas and Keiran reared back, plain surprise written on their faces.

_-Luxmundi, don't scare my bloodsucking friends-_ Benedicite chided her gently, more amused than annoyed.

_-If they know fear, then they are not worthy of your company-_ She said, while slithering out of his baggage, towards the warmth of the fire. The shadows of the flames danced across her scales, making her scales look more obsidian than the usual opal like appearance.

_-That was a horrible ride; you didn't even feed me for the whole day-_ She grumbled.

"Benedicite, why didn't you tell us that you had a familiar?" Tomas asked, as he throw her small chunk of rabbit meat.

Benedicite chuckled softly, "sorry, it must have slipped my mind."

" 'It must have slipped my mind'," Keiran mocked in a high-pitched voice. "What utter rubbish, you just wanted to give us a fright."

"Now, now, lets not mock our dear elf. I heard Elves are very sensitive," Tomas said solemnly, with a finger on his lips, indicating that the knowledge was a highly guarded secret.

Benedicite reached forward and whacked Tomas on the back of his head, "oh, why am I even friends with such imbeciles?" Benedicite said with an expression of theatrical grief, while beginning his meal of rabbit meat.

_-Hey, Luxmundi, can you give me an estimation of how long do you think the storm will last? –_

_-For as long as the caster can hold it-_ she answered.

The three of them froze at the sentence, "this storm isn't natural?"

"No, Tomas, I don't think so. This must is part of the trials. They might even hold the storm till the end of the time limit, just to see which student can make to the Academy despite the storm." Keiran said eying the raging blizzard just outside the mouth of the cave. The howling winds seemed to increase in strength with every passing minute.

"Dammit, there is no way we can travel through a storm of this magnitude, magical creatures or not. We wont last 5 miles." Tomas hissed.

Just then, Benedicite heard the gentle thumping of furred paws against the cold stone floors. Quickly, he raised his hand with his palm facing upwards, a motion indicating the need of silence. Immediately, they fell quiet and listened. Slowly, Benedicite got to his feet, reaching his back to grab an arrow from his quiver. In a single fluid motion, he nocked a single silver arrow and pulled the string taut to his ear, before releasing it into the darkness of the cave. A soft yip from the gloom, revealed the he meet his target. Without a word, Benedicite run forward into the darkness.

A minute later, he emerged from the blackness, with an odd grin on his face. In his hands, he cradled a small furry creature. Tomas slowly stood from his position, his eyes fixed onto the small creature. He then gently, took it from Benedicite's hands.

A grin slowly spread across his face. Finally, he looked up and shared an excited grin with Benedicite.

"Alright, are you two going tell me what's going on? Or are you guys going to keep the secret to yourselves?"

Ignoring Keiran, they both continued grinning at each other. "Do you want to give it a shoot?" Tomas asked.

Benedicite said still grinning, "we have no lamp."

"We have fire."

"There are many dangerous lurking in there."

"As well as many treasures and rare and useful creatures."

"We have no map."

"What's a little adventure?"

"Indeed what's a little excitement?"

Keiran stepped up to the two of them, and wrapped his arms around their shoulders, "I agree, what's a little excitement? Hmm?"

Both of their turned exasperated looks to Keiran, "Do you even know what we are talking about?"

"No, I don't," came his cheerful reply.

~0o0o0o0o~

"This is madness. Many people get lost wondering through the tunnels of dwarfs." Keiran said, as he waved his torch around him, sending flickering shadows dancing across the walls. Benedicite peered down a narrow tunnel that branched off the main tunnel. "Adventure is good for the soul," Benedicite replied distractedly.

"I don't think this is wise, I have lost nearly all sense of direction." Keiran said, worry coloring his voice.

The tunnels were wide and damp, with the ceiling falling and rising. They had to pull down the heads of their steeds occasionally for the low ceilings, but they had ample room for movement.

After some time, they came to a large cavern with several tunnels branching out, with the sound of rushing water coming faintly from a few of them. Studying the tunnels, they picked the one that had cool air blowing out from it. As they walked, the sound of rushing water became louder. Before long they entered gloriously large cavern, the ceiling hanging above them by a few hundred feet.

The path they had been walking on had narrowed down to a ledge that was now merely 10 feet wide, running along the right side of the cavern. The edges of the ledge gave way to a gapping vortex of darkness stretching away below them. They continued on the path, walking along the curve in the wall. Once they rounded it, they were greeted by sight they that left them speechless. The ceiling of the cavern had caved in, giving away to a mighty waterfall that spilled over the outcropping slab of rock, crushing down into the endless abyss below. The glorious sun light and harsh snow poured into the cavern, reflecting off the waters, splashing luminous colors of greens, blues and gold across walls of the magnificent cavern. Illuminating the entrances of the endless number of gaping tunnels that lined the walls. The sheer size of the cavern amplified the deafening reverberations of the waterfall striking against the rock face and the bottom of the cavern, making it nearly impossible to hear themselves over the loud water crushing against the rock.

"Its beautiful, almost unnaturally so," Benedicite admired the tranquil scene before him.

"That's because it isn't," Tomas hissed. "I recognize this place, it's The Wriath's Nest. We have to get out of here, now."

Then crawl of decaying magic began seeped into his senses, the Wriaths had sense their meal and were awakening. "Ride! Quickly!" Benedicite growled, pushing his steed into full speed.

The Wriath's Nest, he remembered reading about the place in old of the old tomes back in the manor. It was one of the most dangerous places in the world, it wasn't easy to find, and many adventurers have spent their lifetimes seeking the place out, for the glory of slaying the Lord of the Wriaths. Many of them were arrogant and this merely led them to their deaths. Yet they were able to stumble upon it, by sheer luck.

Bad luck.

The luxurious waterfall was the trademark of the place, the waters were saturated with compulsion magic that drew attention away from the hundreds of cave entrances the dotted the face of the waterfall.

Just as they rounded the corner and re-entered the tunnels, hundreds of Wriaths were already emerging from their caves.

They push the steeds even harder, hugging their manes, dodging the overhanging slabs of rock. The rush of the passing wind slapped harshly against their faces, seeming to push them back into the outstretch claws of the Wriaths.

But Benedicite could feel it, no matter how fast they were going, the decaying magics of the Wriaths were getting closer. The horrible blood curling cries for their flesh were getting louder with each second, resounding off the narrow walls of the tunnel. They were no longer choosing their path wisely, they were running in the blind. No less pathetic then a sheep's mad dash for escape, from the wolves.

"They are too fast! We have to attack them!" Benedicite yelled over the mane of his steed.

-_What were their points of weakness? Think!- _He screamed to himself, forcing coherent thoughts back into his head.

_-Wriaths are known to be weak against the Enchanted Flames of the Old… the key is to attack the Lord of the nest. Set a trap- _A distant voice echoed in his head, it was sounded like the harsh winds in the winters and pouring rains. A voice you didn't disobey.

"What manner of man would be able to take on a hundred Wriaths? No! We ride!" Tomas shouted back.

"No, we must set a trap. Draw out the Lord." Benedicite whispered into the darkness of the cave. His primitive Elven instincts were bowing to the voice in his head, like how a young Dark Elf would submit to the wishes of an Elder.

Quickly, Benedicite spread out his sense willing the earth to lead them to largest nearby cavern. "Follow me!" he yelled over the increasingly shrilly cries of the Wriaths. They had less than a few hundred meters head start; they needed to get the nearest cavern quickly.

Left.

Left.

Right.

He had completely lost all sense of direction, relying solely on his Elven Senses. But they were drawing near. Soon the narrow tunnels opened up into a large cavern.

_- Call on the power of our ancestors. If you are worthy, they will answer - _

_- How? -_

_- You know how – _

Desperation was rearing up in him, with each passing second, hope was being sapped from his body. The Wriaths were sucking greedily from them, replacing what they took with hopeless despair and the deepest terror that seeped deep into his bones. How?

_- Go on child, CALL ON THEM! – _

His Dark Elven heritage snapped in him at the voice of his Elder, and the language of the Old spilled forth from his lips.

"_SUCCURRO ME, o maiores! Isti mihi potestatem ligandi!" _

Immediately, a powerful presence washed over him, the magic flowing in his veins seemed to have triple in intensity. The strength of the presence of those long dead forced him to his knees.

"Benedicite, it's a dead end here! Where have you led us!" Keiran growled, anger seeping into his voice, seemingly ignorant of the meaning of the display before him. He reached over and grabbed Benedicite's arm rather painfully.

"Let go of me" a steely voice spilled forth from Benedicite's lips. In a swift movement, Benedicite jerked his arm free from Keiran's hold, leaving Keiran momentarily stun at the intensity of the magic he had sensed beneath his companion's skin.

Transfixed, they watched Benedicite spread his hands above his head and began in chant in a tongue long forgotten to man. As the incantation echoed off the walls of the cavern, threads of gold began to form around the mouth of the cavern, fashioning a complex web of magic. The words were pouring forth more rapidly now. Then a wind came, from seemingly nowhere, blowing from all directions. Keiran fell to his knees in pain, unable to handle the intensity of the magic swirling violently around him. Then the Golden Web begun to glow, Keiran and Tomas buried their heads in their knees, trying to avoid the blinding light. Benedicite's voice was now magnified above the sound of the rushing winds, and just as Keiran and Tomas began to scream from the harsh pain from the raw magic, then Benedicite finished the incantation.

And the room was ablaze with brilliant Gold and Black flames.

"Lord of the Wriaths, come to me."

A loud, sharp anguished cry reached their ears, as Keiran vaguely saw a harsh black figure being jerk through the web of flames to pierce through the chest by the Golden arrows from Benedicite's bow, "Burn Ardevis. Burn it to the depths of hell where it belongs." Before the darkness claimed him, he heard a voice.

_-Well done, my heir –_

_-Thank you-_

Its in Latin :)

"SUCCURRO ME, o maiores! Isti mihi potestatem ligandi"

"AID ME, oh ancestors ! give me the power to bind these demons!"


End file.
